"It's horrible because it reduces art to a competition. A panel of "experts" deeming such and such an artist to be worthy of inclusion while another is rejected. Maybe works for sport, where achievement is measured as absolutes. But "judging" music is more complex, no?"

no, not really. that's exactly what curators in museums do. they decide who gets in and who gets rejected. it works ok for visual/ decorative/ abstract art, so why not music also? as for the HOF, record sales ( the fans vote), FAME ( in the warholian sense) and artistry/musicianship are all factored in. possibly the HOF is an american concept, but is it really any different than hero worship elsewhere? football heroes around the world, poets in arab cultures, movie stars in india--- same thing.

all we get over here in the media is so-&-so pop star, actor, footy player whoever, should behave with much more decorum as they are role models to our kids! Well i'm not a parent, but it is parents responsibility to ensure that their kids role models are taken from their family - not some idiot prima donna!

I've not had a hero since i was 12 in the days of Osgood & Cooke or Bowie & Bolan. now i just respect peoples work/art!

sorry guys - a bit of a mini-rant aimed at the media (& weak parents!) & nowt to do with the thread!

my point exactly. so, then HoF is more of a cultural variation than, strictly speaking, an "american concept". I used the term 'hero worship' loosely--it's more of a generic expression these days-- it's all a question of degree. but, yes, quite fanatic when taken to extremes. as for the media, from what I've heard, the english press is far more rabid than the u.s. press, and no, I wouldn't put anyone on a pedestal either.